I have had my tablet for a week or so and just now the screen went dark and it will not respond. It was just sitting there and went dark the screen is still lit it is just black. It will not turn off or respond to anything. Please help

The same thing happened to me tonight (on exactly the 14th, and final, day allowed by the return policy). Another thread had the same issues noted and it was suggested that one should press the Power Button and the n button at the same time for 20 seconds. It did not work the first time I tried it, but it DID work the second time I tried it. It started to boot up, but then was interrupted with a message that said (I'm paraphrasing here), "Do not turn off your nook, Installing New Software."

In the time it took to write this, the update was complete and the Nook Tablet was on and ready for use. Nothing was reset. My files are still there. There was then a smal green 'n' in the left corner (where the download, SD Card and email notification is seen). I touched that and a pop-up indicated the update was complete. Best of luck.

Addendum|Correction: I re-read the exact phrasing of your issue (which I came upon when searching for a solution to my problem). I only just noticed that you mention that your screen is still lit, but black. I did not notice if mine was still lit (I had it on, then put it to sleep, then it would not respond at all 90 minutes later). That was my exact issue. The other issue, where I got the 20 second Power Button+N Button solution, came from a thread where others stated they could not get theirs to turn on. I still suggest attempting the above solution as it helped me and others. I hope the fact that your yours is "still lit" will not be an issue.

As my husband will tell you, I have the WORST history of dropping all my devices and having them act wonky later because of it, but I have never once dropped my NT. As other posters thought, I figured I had run the battery down event though I recalled the battery being at least half not two hours earlier from when it started acting up. Even though initially I tried holding down all the buttons, I didn't hold them long enough. After it charged all night and still didn't turn on, I came here. And I'm so glad I did! Thank you again.

thank you thank you for your input on this. last night my screen went black but light (when turned sideways you saw a light). i did the power button and n button didn't work the first time but did on the second time. I just wanted to say thank you. My nook is only 4 months old so it was upsetting to go through this and not be able to get a hold of anyone from B&N. The closest B&N to me is over 25 miles away. So again thank you.

Thank you so much for the advice. I was listening to Pandora, and all of the sudden...nothing! I pushed the on/off button, held it down, and then pushed the "n" button, still nothing. I held the on and the "n" button down for 20 seconds-nothing happend. I tried for the second time and my Nook started right up. I still have all of my books, apps, and music. Thank you for your post!

Yep, we're having the same problem. While browsing the B&N website for books the screen just went black and ours is making a horrendous buzzing noise that won't stop (still going after 2 hours). The screen is still lit but dark/blank. Pressing the power button will not work, not even holding it down. What in the world is going on here? I'm not happy about owning a $249 piece of junk.

ok we just tried the "hold the power button down AND the "n" button down for 20 seconds and that worked to finally turn it off. I don't understand what that did but at least it's finally shut up! Hopefully there isn't a serious problem that makes the nook tablet freeze up like that and hopefully it doesn't happen again. That isn't normal and I'm affraid this is just a temporary fix and that we will experience related problems later down the road that will no longer be covered after the warranties end. This is really rediculous.

Mine just suddenly did the same thing - went black but still lit. Holding power for 20 seconds turned it off. Thanks! (I know it wasn't the update, I've had that for a while.) What's interesting is when I turned it back on, it said my wifi password was incorrect. But I was able to go to options and hit "connect" and it connected right away. I've had a lot of wifi error messages lately even though it stays connected.

The pressing the n button and the power button at the same time definitely works! the first time i tried it it wouldn't start up, but the second time it rebooted after 10 seconds of holding the two buttons down.

THANK YOU! My NT just suddenly went dark yesterday. It was fine in the morning and then I went to use it yesterday afternoon and NOTHING! I thought maybe I had run the battery down, but when I went to charge it- nothing happened. The light on the USB cable stayed green. I was so FRUSTRATED and was going to take it in this morning but (keeping fingers crossed) this takes care of it. When I held the power and n buttons down, nothing happened the first time but the second time it came on and said that the battery was too low to turn on so I put it back on the charger and WOO HOO it turned orange! Does anyone know WHY this happens?

I have had this happen with 4 Nook Tablets, B&N replaced them all, and I am getting a new replacement now for the fifth one that has had this issue. Let me tell you what I have learned from experience, plus over 20 years in Electronics servicing. After watching carefully, most of the time, but not all, the Nook is in use for long periods of time. One time the Nook was not in use for a long time, but was fully charged and not used all day, but when I turned it on the battery was almost completely discharged. There is a dark purplish glow to the screen and the nook is warm. Power cord plugged in turns orange, and you can leave it plugged in for hours but it never turns green.

I have not had the "20 second power/U button fix" work on any of the nooks, so if this works for you, it may be something different. I would bet my bottom teeth (they are my own) that this is a Processor Lock-Up issue. All the buttons on the Nook work through processor inputs, so if the processor is locked up, none of the buttons are recognized. The dark blue cast to the screen means the unit is not dead or off, just not responsive to the buttons. Normally what you would do in a situation like this is to remove all power (like you would do to your Desktop if it locks up.)

The trouble is, this is a soldered-in Lithium-Ion battery that you can't unplug (and opening the case to unsolder the battery would void your waranty.) so the temporary solutionj is to letthe batery completely discharge (overnight will do it.) In the morning, plug in your charger and the nook will charge up normally and in about half an hour you can press the On button, or the U button and it will work great again, until the next time.

I think it is a heat issue. Long use, or apps that use lots of computing power cause heat, and the heat is not properly dissapated. When the processor gets too hot, it locks up, and once it locks up you can't turn it off or reset it, it has to shut itself down. The people who designed the Nook Tablet might have underestimated the length of continuous useage some of us would be subjecting them to, and did not provide sufficient heat-sinking on one or more of the components. When they test the returned units, they cannot test them as hard as they are used in the field, so the units are put back into the Refurbished pile. Folks who don't use their Nooks for continuous hours will probably never seea problem. Power users will continue to be frustrated.

I am hanging in there, trusting that they will eventually resolve this issue. I love my tablet, even though everytime it is replaced I have to re-enter all my passwords, and start over on all my games. In spite of the troubles, I am a happy user, and a Nook Supporter.

Thanks folks.... I'm thanking you all ahead of time, because I just know that's going to work. My screen went blank, but on (bluish cast/lit) when I left it on an email in progress just for a few minutes. I still love my nook tablet!

Since my NT has done the same thing a number of times recently, I would like to know what things I shouldn't use if I don't want it to happen. You mentioned usage that would be particularly heat-generating. I use my Nook mainly to read books, but also to play Sudoku, and occasionally for Internet.

Thank you! Same thing happened to me and by holding down the power button and N for 20 seconds it turned off. I have the security password screen and could see if very faintly when it was stuck. I held down the power and N button until that went away then powered it up fine.

Dealing with this issue right now. I went to "shop" to see the daily deal and it would not work. I hit the home button and it is unresponsive. I've tried the "n" button and "power" button hold with NO success. I got this as a Christmas gift from a relative out of town. I'll be devastated if it no longer works. I love my NT!

I can get it to turn on but it freezes at the "read forever" screen. (or whatever it says)...

It was completely charged when this happened so I know it's not a charged battery issue.

Dealing with this issue right now. I went to "shop" to see the daily deal and it would not work. I hit the home button and it is unresponsive. I've tried the "n" button and "power" button hold with NO success. I got this as a Christmas gift from a relative out of town. I'll be devastated if it no longer works. I love my NT!

I can get it to turn on but it freezes at the "read forever" screen. (or whatever it says)...

It was completely charged when this happened so I know it's not a charged battery issue.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

~Terri

Hold the power button for at least 20 seconds, then release, wait and then attemtp another power up.

My fiance has a Nook Tablet. He got it for himself for Christmas last year, and up to about a month ago, it's been fine. He's a bit of a computer nerd, so he has messed with it a bit.

But, as I said, starting a month ago, the NT will not turn on unless it is plugged in with the AC adapter. The n stays green, as it's plugged in all the time so it doesn't have a chance to discharge any power. Once it's removed from the charger, it immediately shuts down and that's all she wrote. It's becoming increasingly frustrating for both of us, seeing as how it's supposed to be portable. Holding the power and n button together does nothing. Holding any combination of the buttons for any amount of time hinders no results when it's not plugged in with the AC adapter.

My nook tablet 16 gig froze with blank slightly lit screen after using Netflix. Didnt know what to do for hours until I came here. I held down the power button and the small n button for 10 seconds. It shut down. I held the power button and it came back on with no problems. Netflix does this to my laptop too. Anyway, I hope this helps someone who has a frozen nook tablet!

All of the symptoms mentioned here have been discussed in some of the technical forums about the NT. There are several bugs in the NT firmware (the semi-hardwired software that operates the "guts") that for instance cause the battery to not charge properly. There is a method to reboot to factory specs... if you develop a problem you cannot fix that might be what is needed. I'd rather not tell people how to do this (just that it's possible and from what I've read, will fix some of the weirder and un-fixable stuff). NOTE: That is a last-resort option only!!!You might even want to first take it to a B&N store, they have a special micro-SD card that allows them to do things that ordinary owners cannot do, and may be able to figure out and fix problems. I'm mentioning that as another possibility because I don't know what's on that card except that on a 16GB NT, they can repartition the internal memory so that you can have more space for your own stuff that you didn't download from B&N. (They can, for instance, have around 5Gb for B&N stuff, and 8Gb for your own stuff.)

I have tried everything that everyone has said to try and no luck. I had plugged my Nook in and left it over night. The next day it would not come on. When i plug it in now it flashes orange and green. It then goes to green and stays for about an hour, then it flashes red. Took it to B&N and the rep could not get it to work. He even called support. The sad part is i had only had it 2 months past warranty. I just put aside. Now I am trying again. I really love my tablet, but if I can't get it to work, I won't purchase another one as this one was a Christmas present. Maybe someone out there can tell me something different.

I don't normally leave a post on ANYTHING, but I just had this problem on my nook but mine was in sleep mode when it happened. I used it at a restaurant then put it to sleep. When I got home I tried to turn it on and nothing happened it was completely dead. I plugged it in (even though I knew that it didn't need to be charged) and the indicator on the charger was orange. I left it sit while I looked it up on here to see what I could do. After reading everyone's post's I went to try the power button and the N button together, I was prepared to wait at least 30 seconds and then try it again since most people said it would take 2 times to try this. It only took about 10 seconds and started up on the first try. I am so glad this worked since I have had my nook tablet for over a year and have NEVER had a problem with it. This thing is my life it goes everywhere with me and I use it more than my laptop. I don't know how I ever would have lived without it. Thank you to everyone that has put a post on here to help with the problem. This has truly been a saving grace.